


starlit love

by the_nerd_youre_looking_for



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Canon Asexual Character, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Typical Lack Of Communication, Happy Ending, Human/Vampire Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Horror, Monster Hunters, Past Character Death, Secret Identity, big fan of problems being solved by communication, gets a bit sad near the end but then its fine, it's not that bad just a couple little spooky hijinks afoot, jonny sims you will not take hot vampires away from me!, just danny its fine, mild idiots to lovers, this whole fic is just a related collection of hijinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28766220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_nerd_youre_looking_for/pseuds/the_nerd_youre_looking_for
Summary: Jonathan Sims has been the researcher for one of the most well known freelance monster hunting groups in the UK.Timothy Stoker is a vampire.When Jon falls head over heels for Tim one night and gets asked on a date, he thinks things couldn't be going better. But when subtle signs start popping up.....he can't ignore them forever
Relationships: Georgie Barker/Melanie King, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist/Tim Stoker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16
Collections: TMA Valentine's Exchange 2021





	starlit love

**Author's Note:**

> Jonny Sims might've made vampires ugly and terrible in canon but he can never do take hot vampires away from my heart.
> 
> Anyway this is my piece for a TMA Valentine's Exchange! I really hope they enjoy! 
> 
> There's a wee bit of angst where jon and time have Conflict but it's over pretty quick and it's ok
> 
> Did get a bit out of my hands and got Long for a one shot but that's how writing goes <3

Jon met him for the first time at a bar. It was a small place, nothing very fancy or expensive, but he and his team had just fixed a pretty nasty poltergeist problem for a couple, and Melanie had decided they need to celebrate. And, of course, Jon was going to be the designated driver. So, for a good portion of the night, he sat on a barstool sipping at a glass of water watching Georgie and Melanie drunkenly hit on each other. Amusing as they could be, he found himself checking the time on his phone often, wondering when an appropriate time to get them to leave was. 

And then, a peal of laughter from just down the bar caught his attention and that's when he saw him. 

The man was beautiful, there wasn't any other word to do him justice. He had dark skin and curly hair and colorful dangly earrings and Jon could spot a bit of glitter around his eyes and his breath caught in his throat. He was talking with a woman, and another man who seemed to be a part of their group. The man had a sunshine smile and Jon felt like he could stare at him all night and be perfectly fine.

Of course, that couldn't happen, because the man somehow caught Jon's eye and he whipped his head back around to face his glass of water, cheeks heating up. Stupid, now he'd be assumed to be some sort of stalker. Jon would've been perfectly content to stare at his cup all night long until he died of embarrassment or they left, and he did do that for about three minutes until he felt several taps on his shoulder and was forced to do things besides wallow. 

"Jon." Georgie stage-whispered, a big smile spreading across her face. "I saw you looking at that guy. With the frog earrings." 

"Oh my _god_." Jon put his head down on the bar with a thunk. "Georgie. I'm going to lose it. He saw me looking and now I have to flee the country." 

"You go talk to him." She patted his shoulders a few more times and squinted at the clock hanging on the wall. "We got time b'fore we leave. Plus. Frog earrings. Man's not hettie, I'll tell ya." 

"I can't do that!" Jon hissed. Just the thought of it made him feel anxious. He's never the best around new people, especially new people that he wants to like him. He ends up tripping over his words and being rude, and then he makes a mess of it all. "Georgie. Georgie. I can't do that."

"Nono, I told Melanie. She says she'll kick yer ass if you don't." 

Suddenly, there was a very good reason to talk to the cute man with the frog earrings. Melanie might be just about 160 centimeters, but she was a strong one. 

Georgie giggled and gave him a little push. Jon flipped her off and turned, to find his frog-earringed-man already starting over. The man and woman he was with were watching with what looked like glee in their eyes. When he caught Jon's eyes, the man smiled and leaned on the bartop next to him.

"Hey. Timothy Stoker, call me Tim." Tim's smile was radiant, and his eyes...Jon could get lost in those eyes.

"Jonathan Sims. Call me Jon." He holds out his hand to shake and immediately feels ridiculous. But Tim just chuckled and shook his hand like this was a job interview. "It's, ah...nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you." Tim said, and Jon believed it. He spoke very genuinely. "You here with anyone?"

"Oh, yeah, some friends." Jon gestured back to where Georgie and Melanie looked like they were having a very heated debate over something. Knowing them, it was about some horror movie or other. "We're just off work, so. Swung on by. You?"

Tim nodded and jerked his head in the direction of the people he'd just been with. "Friends too. We like to drop by here on the weekends. What do you do for work?" 

Jon coughed awkwardly and took a sip of his water. "Oh, just freelance work. We basically just work whenever." Most people weren't very big fans of the monster hunting business, up until they needed someone's services. There were plenty monsters that were fine enough people, so it gets a bit delicate when you talk about trapping and possibly killing something that could be Jim from HR. But the truth was, sometimes there were wild monsters that hurt people and terrorized neighborhoods and that needs to be taken care of. Police are generally called for that type of situation, but there are monster hunters who actually dedicate time to research what's going on and get the correct equipment, and that's often better than calling in the cops who have the same procedures for nearly everything. And it isn't like monster hunting is illegal, so sometimes people are willing to fork over about £70-400 for accurate and precise work. It's not always killing, it's not even killing 90% of the time, but that's what people's minds jump to. So he never likes to disclose he's a primary researcher for a monster hunting company. 

"Oh, that's pretty fun." Tim didn't seem put off by any hesitation Jon might've expressed. "I work in publishing. It's not as thrilling as your work, but it pays the bills."

Jon huffs out a laugh, feeling almost infinitely more at ease now with Tim. He felt like somebody easy to get along with. "I think you're overestimating how thrilling my job is." 

"Probably beats sitting at a computer and reading manuscripts. Don't get me wrong, I love publishing, just gets dull sometimes." He cracks a smile and nods slightly at the drinks menu behind the bar. "Can I buy you anything?" 

"Oh, no, thank you." Jon shook his head, feeling a small flash of shame despite himself. "I've got to drive those maniacs home, so." He shrugs. 

"I'll get us some sodas then." Before Jon could protest, Tim was already ordering a couple of root beers. "And it's my treat, don't even try to pay me back." 

Jon felt only a little bit silly when he took a sip from his soda. He took a glance over at Georgie and Melanie, and Melanie gave him a big wink from down the bar. Christ. "It can't have cost more than £3, it isn't a hassle to pay back." 

"We-e-e-ll...." Tim tilted his head and tapped his chin, a little exaggeration that Jon couldn't help but smile at. "You _could_ always repay me with your number." 

Jon scoffed, but he couldn't help a flush creeping up his cheeks. He didn't think Tim was the type to do all that just for sex, but he'd only known the man ten minutes. "That line work with all the other men?" He couldn't help but push back. 

He shrugged, not put off in the slightest. "Some of the ladies, too. Is it working on you?" Tim smiled again (did he ever stop? Poor man's cheeks must hurt) and his eyes sparkled. 

"It might've." Jon sighed, but Tim's smile was infectious and he couldn't help feeling a little giddy. He unlocked his phone and pulled up his number to hold out to Tim. Tim punched it in to his contacts fairly quickly and shot off a test text, which consisted of a couple random emojis. 

"Well, there we go!" Tim pocketed his phone and hopped on the stool next to Jon's. "I'll be sure to keep in contact." 

"I should hope so." Jon laughed, which ruined the mockingly-professional tone he'd been going for. Ah, well. 

Jon had thought the conversation might've died off after that, but they talked for at least another hour. It was small talk, about sports, funny childhood stories, friends, Tim's job (Jon didn't want to give many details on his own), but it didn't feel awkward. Tim was a master in making people feel comfortable with him, Jon decided. Usually, he isn't the best with people, and he still felt a bit awkward, but it wasn't the end of the world. They clicked well and Tim didn't mind when Jon went off explaining about the different gasses and elements in different types of lightbulbs. Either he genuinely found it interesting or he was an Oscar-worthy actor. The only time they paused in their conversation was when Georgie came over and told him it was time to leave. They said their goodbyes, Tim promised to text him soon, and Jon got the unenviable task of trying to load his two drunk friends into their car. 

"Soooo..." Melanie teased, smile obvious in her voice. "Georgie tells me you've got a new boyfriend."

"Shut up or I'll crash the car." Jon grumbled, prompting a burst of laughter from Melanie. He couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, though. 

______

**Tim:** hey! this still Jon?

 **Jon:** Who else would it be?

 **Tim:** ooh proper grammar. just what i look for in a man ;)

 **Tim:** ANYWAY! i was thinking maybe this next friday we could go for dinner? there's this fancy place not too far off from the bar

 **Jon:** I should be free then. What time?

 **Tim:** maybe like 6:30pm? 

**Jon:** That sounds good. I'll put it on my calendar

 **Tim:** can't believe i get to be on a cute guy's calendar. this is the dream life rn

______

"Hey, lover boy." Georgie's amused voice broke Jon out of his (maybe a little romantic) thoughts. "We've got a new job. Come check it out." 

That got his attention. "What've we got?" He pushed himself off the couch and joined Georgie over at her computer.

She pointed to the screen where an email was open. They had a small and simple website that featured a little template someone could fill in and email if they were having a problem. "Werewolf attacks in Whitby. Every full moon, it seems like the werewolf breaks into people's homes and like....eats them."

Jon grimaced at the mental image of that. Fortunately, werewolves were pretty common and it was easy enough to track and subdue. It's a little like dog catching, honestly. "Anything weird about it?

Georgie just shrugged. "Nah, looks like a standard case. Nothing too out there."

"Well, I'll look into the area and see if I can find anything on the killings." The Admiral wanders by and Jon scoops him up. "You better set a high price. That's gonna be gas money." He ignored the cat's squirming for a moment to give him a couple kisses before dropping him back down. 

"You know, that's why I'm the Admiral's favorite parent." Georgie's eyes sparkled with her wide smile. "And yeah, I'm definitely ranging the price to be in the higher range. Christ, Whitby's like....300 kilometers? We need to start setting limits on where we go."

"Good luck convincing Melanie." Jon grumbled, pocketing his phone. "She'd have us driving off to France." 

"You know the only reason this all pays off without us needing another job is because we overcharge the hell out of people, right?" Georgie picked up the Admiral and ran her fingers through his thick black fur. Annoyingly, he didn't seem to mind it when _she_ held him. 

"We put our lives on the line, Georgie." Jon moved into the small kitchen space to grab his laptop, where it was charging on the table. "I almost died when we did the kelpie. When it was in someone's swimming pool?"

"Jon, you broke your wrist because you were stupid and tripped coming up the ladder to the deck."

"I could've died. Many people die from broken wrists." He said, pretending to sound very serious. It was always good to fall into their usual back-and-forth. At a certain point in his life, he might've thought it would be hell on earth living with his ex and her new girlfriend. The reality of it was actually pretty nice. He took a seat back on their worn-out couch and booted up his computer.

Georgie sighed, but he knew she wasn't bothered. "Literally none of us have come close to dying. _You_ just sit in the van half the time." She released the Admiral, who made a beeline for Jon. Particularly, for his computer keyboard.

"Hey, hey, get off." Jon picked him up and looked into his one yellow eye. "You and I both know that you are the most important member of this team, Admiral. We would be lost without you."

"Speaking of Melanie, you know where she's at?"

"She said she was out getting groceries. Oh, and you'll never guess what I'm doing Friday."

______

Jon was a man of many talents, and one of them was being chronically early to almost every event he attended. Whatever it was that he was going to, he had to get there at least half an hour before it actually began. This was how Jon found himself very overdressed for what he assumed was going to be at least an hour of sitting on a bench outside the restaurant and waiting for Tim to show up. 

What actually happened was that he shot off a _"I'm at the restaurant. I know I'm early but don't feel like you have to rush"_ text to Tim about fifteen minutes of sitting in the late autumn chill and getting weird looks from passerby. Tim, two minutes later, responded with an _"omw"._ Five minutes after that, Tim was sat next to Jon, who jumped at his sudden appearance. 

"How did you get here so quickly?" Was the only question Jon could think to ask. Partly because it was very relevant, and mostly because Tim looked very nice in his dress pants and purple button-up. 

Tim shrugged casually and ran a hand through his curls. "I live near here, actually. I was pretty much all set to go when I got your text, and I figured I might as well join you." He smiled as he took in Jon's outfit. "Glad I did! Green is totally your color." 

Jon flushed and looked down at his outfit on reflex, like he'd forgotten. Georgie had helped him with it, picking out some dark green pants and a decently formal white shirt. He didn't own many clothes that didn't look like they came out of an elderly English professor's closet, so it was a bit of a panic picking out something. "Oh, um...thank you." He smiled back at Tim. "Should we go in?" 

Tim nodded and stood, offering an arm to Jon. He took it of course, after grumbling for an appropriate amount of time over how stupid he would look. But Jon couldn't deny that it felt...nice to be close to Tim. He felt safe and trustworthy, which was something Jon didn't feel from most people. That was probably why he felt himself so drawn to Tim. It was a bit of a luxury to feel so comfortable around someone who clearly felt the same. Which was why it was easy to drop Tim's sudden appearance. He said he lived nearby, that's all it was. 

Once they got themselves settled at their table and had ordered a decently-priced bottle of wine for Tim and some ice water for Jon, it became clear to Jon that Tim was in his element here. He made idle chatter with the hostess and joked along with the waiter. It was sort of endearing to watch. Jon had never been a poet or an artist, but he's pretty sure he could write a couple lines about the sound of Tim's laugh, if he were pressed. 

They ordered their meals relatively quickly (some fish dish for Jon and a pasta for Tim), Tim turned his full attention onto Jon. "So," He said, taking a sip of his wine, "tell me some stuff about yourself." 

"Like...what, exactly?" Jon searched around his mind for something decently interesting, but came to the conclusion that he was a pretty boring person.

Tim just shrugged. "Anything, really. How about...favorite color?" 

"Darker colors, in general. I like how they look." He laughed to himself at a little memory, of his grandmother refusing to paint his bedroom walls black and him getting very upset with her. "I was practically goth in school."

"Is it awful that I can see you being goth?" Tim chuckled along. "Right, your turn. Ask me something." 

Jon thought for a moment. He's never been great at thinking up things on the spot. "What's your favorite movie?"

Tim visibly lit up at that one. "Oh! I'm honestly a fan of Gatsby, the one with Leo DiCaprio? Big fan."

The date continued like that. Asking lighthearted questions and just getting to know each other. Jon particularly liked how animated Tim could be. He spoke with his hands a lot, and when he was telling a story or a joke, he'd use big gestures that never failed to make Jon smile. It all just made him all the more endearing. 

But nights always come to an end, and eventually they did have to pay the bill and leave before the restaurant closed. Tim made a big show about paying for the bill, despite Jon wanting to split it.

"I asked you, I pay." Tim had said, like it was some sort of official rule. "That's just how it goes."

"I'm not sure about that." Jon complained back, but in the end he did relent and let Tim get the bill. He just told himself that next time, he would pay.

 _Next time._ Now there was a thought.

"How about I walk you home, huh?" Tim offered once they were outside under the night sky. "It's the gentlemanly thing to do."

Jon huffs out a short laugh. "I don't even live near here." He pointed out. "You said you're around here, so really, _I_ should walk _you_ home." He smiled a little at that, but Tim had gone a bit quiet. He stopped walking where he was, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes on the sidewalk, like he was deep in thought.

"Here's a compromise." Tim said, eventually looking up. "I walk you to the tube station? How about it?" He tried to put a bit of that old easy cheer into his voice, but it didn't sound quite right. 

"Alright. We can do that." Jon didn't know what to do about the shift in mood. Had he done something wrong? Did he accidentally offend Tim somehow? Jon wasn't sure, but he figured the least he could do was indulge Tim, just a bit. 

They walked in near complete silence for the fifteen minutes it took to get to the station. Every so often one of them would bring up something in an attempt to start conversation, but it usually fell flat. It didn't feel too uncomfortable, but Jon would've given almost anything to be able to just talk with Tim right now. By the time they reached the station, Jon was almost feeling like he'd wrecked any chance of seeing Tim again when the man said his goodbyes with a kiss on the cheek and a warm smile. Then, Jon figured he hadn't messed up too bad.

______

After that first date, things went pretty well between the two of them. They texted and called each other pretty often when they weren't seeing each other. There was only one major argument between that, when Tim absolutely refused to go to Jon's favorite Italian place for a date, but that was easy to move past, even if it was weird. 

The more Jon figured out about Tim, the more he wanted to know. It was little pieces of Tim, and Jon wanted to put together the whole puzzle, to see everything. Tim was an anthropology major, his favorite genre of books was fantasy, he was a fan of country music, he liked mint and lemon tea, and his favorite animals were birds of paradise. It was almost exhilarating, taking each new piece of the Tim puzzle and putting it in its place. Georgie had told him once, when they were still dating, that he was very analytical about her. She didn't mind it, and he doesn't think Tim does, but Jon thinks he's starting to see what she means. 

He'd met Tim's friends, Sasha and Martin, a couple weeks or so into their relationship. They were good people, and he could see how Tim got along with them. Martin was sweet with a bitchy streak a mile wide and Sasha was sharp as a tack and very perceptive. Martin had made some tomato soup for dinner, and they all just talked and had a good time. 

"He talks about you. A _lot._ " Sasha had said with a wide smile.

"Hey hey, it's normal to do that." Tim pouted. "Do we have to bully me in front of Jon?"

Martin nodded. "Of course!" 

______

The werewolf catching gig went as well as it normally does. Jon, unfortunately, is always used as bait in situations where they need traps, so that was his part. Georgie set up what was basically a large weighted net, and once the werewolf was tangled up, Melanie gave them some sedatives and they all waited in the van until the sun came up. The rest of the legal processes aren't ever their jurisdictions, so they left after it looked like the situation was pretty much resolved. 

"One of these days, I'm going to get killed and then what." Jon had grumbled on the way back home, but he wasn't worried. There had only been a few close calls, and he's always been safe on these missions.

"We'd just use your body as bait." Georgie said from the driver's seat which made Melanie cry laughing. And despite the fact that he was meant to be complaining, Jon couldn't help smiling along. 

Yeah, things were pretty good.

______

"Seriously, how do you suck _this_ bad at Pac-Man?"

Jon glared at the GAME OVER text on the screen, as if he might stare his Pac-Man character back to life. "I never said I was any good at arcade games."

Tim sighed and leaned on him. "It's Pac-Man. You just kinda...." He made a couple noises and hand gestures, to apparently explain how the game was played. "You know?"

"Apparently not." Jon shrugged and shouldered Tim off of him. "You try, if you're so good."

The arcade was almost empty, with it being a week night and cutting it pretty close to the closing time. Jon had wanted to go in the afternoon, when they would have more than two hours, but Tim insisted that they go at 4:30, and Jon didn't care enough to keep arguing it. By that time, it was pretty much dark out and hardly anyone was there, save for a couple uni-age kids messing around. The man who was working the place was clearly unhappy about having people in here so close to closing, but Jon couldn't bring himself to mind. It was a nice date idea, even if Tim was weird about what time. 

"I absolutely will. I'm gonna dominate the hell out of this game." Tim smiled brightly and took his turn at the game. He lasted a good few minutes longer than Jon before eventually getting killed by one of the ghosts.

Jon grinned and peered over Tim's shoulder at the GAME OVER. "So much for being a master, huh?"

"Shut up, I still beat you." Tim laughed and entered another quarter to restart the game. "I'm gonna win Pac-Man."

"I dunno about that." Jon wrapped his arms around Tim's shoulders and watched him play the game from behind. 

It happened in a second. For a second, he zoned out. The pixels on the game blurred as his vision focused on his reflection. He wrinkled his nose in vague distaste. Jon wasn't a fan of staring at his reflection, especially right now when his hair was messy and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week. His eyes shifted to the right, just a bit, and his blood ran cold. It wasn't what he saw, but what he _didn't_ see that made a blade of horror slice through him.

Tim's reflection wasn't showing up. 

For a moment, he couldn't breathe. Then he forced himself to refocus on the game that Tim was currently in the process of losing. It was a trick of the light, he told himself. It's dark outside and the lights inside are fairly dim and the screen is at an angle, which must've combined to make some sort of weird illusion. Jon was sure if he shifted his angle just a bit. Tim's reflection would show up. He didn't need to check, of course. He just knew it, and that was enough to steady his heartbeat.

"Whatever, stupid game's rigged anyway." Tim grumbled as the game played its GAME OVER animation. "Let's check out the claw machine. I gotta win something for my boyfriend."

Jon chuckled and let go of Tim's shoulders. "As if the claw machines aren't rigged." He said, before Tim's words hit him like a truck. He was Tim's _boyfriend_ now. They hadn't really discussed a label for their relationship before, but now that he thought about it, Jon wasn't sure what else to call them. He liked labels, fitting things into a neat organizational system, easy for him to figure out. The implications of this new one made him flush dark, entirely against his will.

Unfortunately, Tim also seemed to realize his little slip. "Shit, uh....I know we didn't talk about what we are, specifically, so....sorry if it's not the right time for that?" 

"No, I like it. Boyfriends is nice." Jon smiled and slipped his hand into Tim's. "Come on, let's see you try to get me some little Elmo plush or something." 

With that, the issue of Tim's missing reflection was almost entirely forgotten.

______

Jon was in the middle of heating up some leftover lentil soup when Georgie announced that they had a new job. He turned the stovetop off and sat on the couch next to her, idly petting The Admiral with one hand. 

"Oh shit, new job just dropped!" Melanie called as she made her way into the living room. She reached out and patted the top of Jon's head for a moment, then reached over his head to pat Georgie's hair, and walked past Jon to sit next to her.

"Rude." He muttered, which earned him a sharp tap on the foot from Melanie's cane. 

Georgie tapped her laptop screen, which had an email showing. "There's a vampire 'round Ely. Friday nights, it looks like it kills a lot of people. It's not every Friday, but people find bloodless bodies scattered around on Saturday mornings. Now that's all standard, but check this out." 

She clicked on a video attached to the email. The quality was shaky, and the camera was pointed at the pavement, but visuals weren't the point of the video. A low voice was coming from somewhere in front of the filmer, softly singing something Jon couldn't make out the words to. In the middle of the song, the voice switched to a higher, more nasal tone. It wasn't someone else joining in, unless their timing had been impeccable. Finally, it switched to a louder and more feminine voice. This time, the words were clear as day. "Well, where has my little snack run off to?" This voice felt...different. Something was very off about it. 

"So....what, it takes voices?" Melanie asked, leaning over Georgie's shoulder. 

Jon felt the slightest panic rising in his stomach. "I haven't heard of vampires being able to do that before." He muttered. "They have some shapeshifting abilities, but....are they certain it's a vampire?"

Georgie nodded. "Yep. I mean, unless you know of other monsters who can drain a person dry."

There weren't many, at least not that could speak in a human language that convincingly. And to do it in so many different voices...it was odd enough that there was a vampire near a large cathedral, although that wasn't unheard of. "The only explanation I can think of is that it somehow changes its vocal cords, but I don't think that's possible." Jon ran a hand through his hair. "I'll have to do some digging, see if something like this has been documented before." Already, he was mentally listing things he would have to research.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Melanie looked over at him, resting her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Couldn't say. We know what to do with a standard vampire attack, which this mostly seems like. Give me at least two weeks to confirm that this isn't something else. Just in case."

Georgie nodded along, already typing out a response email. "That sounds good. I know we've already got most of the regular vampire killing stuff. From what we saw, I think this one is actively killing people, so we'll all need to be prepared for aggressive behavior." She paused in her typing to tap Melanie twice on the arm. "Honey, would you mind going out and getting some holy water for this?" 

"Sure thing. I could also bring some bullets along, get 'em blessed. Doesn't hurt to have ranged weapons."

Their plan was already being formulated. Jon knew Melanie and Georgie would get it figured out without much of his input. That wasn't a bad thing, it just meant he could tune out the logistics which would be explained to him later, and type out some of the things he wanted to look into. He definitely needed to check out an extensive list of vampire abilities, just to see. He also might need to go to the library and see if they had any older books on vampires or different blood-sucking creatures. Some things, you just can't find online. With most of the description, it seemed like a textbook vampire problem. But he can't be too sure.

______

It was about a week after that when Tim came over for game night at Jon's.

They had joked before about how all this felt like meeting-the-parents, and it was right in a sense. Melanie and Georgie were Jon's family, and it was important to him that they liked Tim and Tim. Of course, he had to go and give himself a stress headache over this, because he can never worry about things a normal amount. It's always one thing or another. 

As it turned out, there was nothing to even second guess. Tim, Melanie, and Georgie got on like a house on fire. He'd brought Uno with him, and within five minutes, he and Melanie were yelling at each other over something or other, while Jon read from the rules and Georgie was too busy laughing to be much help. 

They did Charades and a short round of Go Fish, and it was over with the promise that Tim would be invited again very soon. It was a weight off Jon's shoulders, that the two most important sections of his life could come together without any hassle. Another worry that he could happily put in its grave.

______

The plan would go like this. 

They arrive in Ely a few hours before sunset, give them enough time to stake out a good area and set up a trap. This time, Melanie has set up what is essentially just dumping a big bag of rice on the ground. Simply, messy. But efficient enough. Jon is to stand by the area, looking ignorant and full of blood. There are protections, as always, and Jon weaved together a small necklace out of garlic blossoms to wear in case things got dicey. When the vampire was busy counting all the grains of rice, Georgie would shoot. A blessed silver bullet to the head or heart would work just fine, and with the vampire busy counting, she would be able to get up close enough to get a good shot. As weird as the case was, it seemed to be a very easy procedure. 

Jon was fiddling with his wreath of garlic blossoms, standing next to the tree where Melanie had set up their trap. She was set up behind a couple of bushes, holding a rope tied to a rice bag strung up on a nearby tree. Three claps from Jon, and she would pour out the rice onto the ground. He glanced back up at the horizon, where the sun was slowly setting. At least another half hour until it got proper dark, he guessed. His part of these jobs was always the most boring. 

Maybe boring would have been better.

The sun had set and the winter night was chilly. A quick check of his watch told Jon it was only 6pm, but it looked a lot later. He had decided to go a ways down the sidewalk and come back to where Melanie was camped, so he wouldn't look too conspicuous. This vampire might be a killer, but they probably had an ounce of common sense. He was just about a block from being back in position when he heard somebody call out to him from behind. Jon wasn't sure what else to do but turn around. 

Behind him, about ten feet away, was possibly the oddest looking person he'd ever seen. She wore colorfully patterned clothing and her hair was dyed a very bright shade of red. She couldn't have been more than a head taller than Jon but there was something about the distance and angles and such that made her seem so much taller. She smiled cheerfully and waved, and with a sinking chill in his stomach, Jon realized he could see a mouth full of very sharp fangs. This was their vampire. 

"Hello!" She said, in a tone nearly as bright as her clothes. "It's quite chilly out! What are you doing in this weather so late?"

Jon was not expecting her to make any conversation. "Uh....got caught up at work." He said quickly, turning back around to get himself where he had to be. Hopefully, she followed, and his garlic blossoms should keep her a good distance away.

"Don't be so rude!" He could almost hear her pout, and from the light footsteps, she was following. "I only want to chat. You have a very lovely voice." 

"Th...thank you." Head down, keep walking. He was nearly there. 

The vampire behind him fell silent for a moment. He could still hear her footsteps, which made his bones chill with a certain type of horror. Then, at last, she said, "That's a funny little necklace you have on. You ought to take it off." 

Some vampires, by some lucky coincidence, will have hypnosis powers. Jon could tell that this one did. Something about the eyes and voice, drawing you in, holding you captive, until you were following their orders before you'd even noticed. From what he could tell, you needed to be looking and listening. But just her voice, high and lilting, drew him in and he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from taking the blossoms off. 

"It's quite _rude_ to not look at someone when your spoken too!" She sounded like she was telling off a misbehaving child. "And I'm the one carrying the whole conversation! What a waste of a lovely voice." 

That last bit opened a bit in his stomach. Jon did _not_ want his voice stolen by some creepy vampire who looked like she belonged in a Claire's, thank you very _much._ He speeds up his pace even more and claps thrice even before he got back where he was meant to be. Unfortunately, this did mean that Melanie dumped the rice right on him.

"What's that for?" Jon complained, shaking the grains out of his hair and off his shirt. He glared at where Melanie was standing up, stretching out her legs.

"Not my fault you weren't where you were meant to be, dumb shit." She rolled her eyes.

But, nevertheless, the plan had worked. The vampire stood, fists clenched and glaring, at the pile of rice for a moment before sitting down and picking them out one by one. Jon sighed and relief and turned to gather Georgie to finish the job, when he saw something that made him freeze.

Because his fucking _boyfriend_ was staring at him from the other side of the road.

"Tim?!" He said incredulously. He wasn't entirely sure he was seeing this correctly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing." Tim's tone wasn't cold, just....calculated. He crossed the street in an arc, and that was when Jon noticed the pointed wooden stake he was holding in a gloved hand. The scene seemed....ridiculous. 

Jon gestured helplessly at the vampire, still counting away and muttering to herself. "This....well, it's work." He said weakly. He watched Tim's expression change from confusion to a sort of startled realization. "We have this handled. Don't...no need to get yourself hurt."

"You never told me you....what, vampire slay for a living?" Tim came to a halt behind the vampire, some bitter mix of hurt in his eyes.

"Look, it's...it's unconventional, I can't ever say for certain how people will react." Jon stepped around the pile of rice and reached out for Tim, but he recoiled as if Jon was wielding a bloody knife. Jon froze, all too aware of the silence. "What's wrong?"

Tim gripped his stake tighter and sucked in a breath. "Nothing." He said shakily. "Nothing, just..." He gestured at Jon, eyes glancing down at the wreath of garlic blossoms. 

"Yes, I know it's silly, but you can't be too careful." He smiled sheepishly, fingers brushing over the blooms. He took another step towards Tim, and Tim took another step back. "What, does it smell _that_ bad, or-." Jon cut himself off as realization hit him like a rock. "You're not...?" Things start to add up, the mental math being done almost automatically. Jon isn't sure he wants to be adding things up.

Tim grins, though it doesn't reach his eyes, showing off his full set of fangs. Jon feels like his lungs are being squeezed. "Oh..." Is all he manages to get out. 

"Let me kill her." Tim pleads, and he looks near tears. "Please. You can still trust me, I promise. Just let me have this." 

Jon doesn't know what to say. It feels like every word he had inside of him had left. So he just nods and takes a few steps back, keeping his eyes on Tim. "Ok." He breathes. "Ok. I trust you." His heart aches when he sees how happy Tim looks. 

"What's going on?" Melanie hisses in his ear. "Why is your boyfriend here?"

"I'll...I'll explain it in the van." His voice comes out almost as shaky as his body feels. "Tim is going to take care of this. Let's find Georgie." 

They load up into the car, and Jon is grateful that no one asks him to speak, because he's not sure he can make anything come out. He stares at his hands, and pointedly does not look out the window when they pass Tim by. He wishes he had. 

______

Ever since Jon saw Tim in Ely, he'd been somewhat avoiding him. He'd sent a couple of texts which had gone largely ignored, mostly asking what had happened and if Tim was alright. Then, Tim sent a couple texts a week later which Jon ignored. He felt bad about it, but it was just confirming suspicions that had been building up for a long time. 

His maybe-ex-boyfriend was a vampire. There were a lot of things that he dismissed as just little facets of Tim's personality, things that in any other situation would've set off alarm bells immediately. Only meeting after sunset, avoiding garlic, that "trick of the light"....Jon doesn't know how he was so stupid about it all. 

It's not that he _minds_ , not really. Tim seemed like a perfectly nice guy, not like somebody who attacks and kills people. The type of vampire that'll get his share from the blood banks and live a regular life. It's that Tim hadn't told him. Which makes Jon wonder _why_ he wasn't told. Sure, it's not exactly an easy topic for a first date, but after that. After that, surely Tim must've thought about telling him. So then why hadn't he? Of course, he's entitled to his privacy, but still. There were definitely easier ways for Jon to find out than _that._

He'd also started avoiding places he thought he might see Tim. Places they'd been together mostly, places he mentioned he liked offhandedly. Of course, Jon could run into him at any time. They lived in the same city. But this made him feel a little in control. He didn't really think he was ready for all that conversation yet. Not when he was still buzzing about why Tim hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. 

Of course, the thought had come. Jon didn't want to think about it, but he wasn't sure he had a choice in the matter. Was all this, the whole relationship, a set-up so Tim could feed off Jon? Of course not. It didn't make sense to keep up a relationship for months just to drink someone's blood once. But then of course, vampires can have some hypnotic powers, and if Tim didn't want Jon to remember that he'd been drinking from him continuously throughout the relationship, then Jon wouldn't. At first, he'd even thought that Tim might've used some hypnosis on him during their first meeting but it didn't line up. There wasn't that insistent _drive_ that invaded his mind, only a gentle interest. But even with that ruled out, Tim was very charming, and he might not use that to just get dates. It didn't make sense, Tim was lovely, but still he couldn't help being a bit paranoid about it. He ran over each of their dates, and if he had any gaps in his memory or had displayed any signs of blood loss. And plenty of people can seem lovely and be absolutely horrid beneath the act. It scared Jon, quite a lot. And he was sure Georgie and Melanie had noticed. The only thing that reassured him was that not matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find those two telltale scars that would show where someone had taken from him. But even still, he worried.

"Look, you've got to talk to him again at some point." Melanie had said one night. "You want your answers, you'll have to talk to him again." 

That was true. Jon didn't want to just ghost Tim like that, Tim deserved proper closure at least if they were going to break up. And there was the fact that Jon didn't necessarily _want_ to break up. He didn't mind that Tim was a vampire. Sometimes people are vampires and there's not much to be done about it. It's not that much of an anomaly and it isn't taboo or illegal or anything for a human to date a monster. That part was fine. Jon definitely still had feelings for Tim, even though they were a bit more complicated. If they could talk and clear things up between them, Jon would be open to dating him, if Tim also still wanted that.

But he couldn't right now. Now, he was still frantic with anxieties over the situation. He'd flung himself into work, when they had it, to distract himself, but eventually he'd have to actually sit down and deal with it like a mature adult.

Just not right now.

______

**Jon:** Hi. Sorry I didn't reply to you sooner. I just needed some time to process everything, I think. 

**Jon:** I think we should talk some things over in person. Whenever you're free, I'd like to meet up. 

**Jon:** If that's okay with you, that is.

_Thursday, 6:34pm_

**Tim:** sorry, i didn't have my phone on me

 **Tim:** but i'm definitely down to meet up and talk about this whole situation. you can come over mine tomorrow at 6pm? 

**Tim:** i'll tell sasha and martin to skedaddle 

**Jon:** That'll work for me. I'll see you then.

______

Jon had no idea what he was doing. 

He wanted to make things right with Tim, that much was clear to him. But communication had never been his strong suit, which was what really wrecked a lot of his early relationships. He likes to think he's gotten better. However, with a very heavy topic right in front of him, he suddenly didn't know how to proceed. He spent the next day distracting himself by fussing over his clothes and hair until Melanie told him to just go already, and so he did. If things went badly, Jon knew that the both of them would have good friends to support them. Even still, he wasn't ready to lose Tim's presence in his life. 

On the way over, Jon allowed himself one more distraction and bought a small bouquet of peonies. He's never been known for his romantic tendencies, but he figures flowers might be nice. And then, just like that it seemed, he was standing in front of Tim's door, fifteen minutes early, preparing to knock. Deep breath in, out through the nose, and he knocked on Tim's door, almost jumping at the noise.

Tim opened the door about a minute later. If Jon had to guess, he'd also been taking his time, preparing himself. Tim looked....well, tired. Jon knew he wasn't one to talk, but he had the urge to force Tim into a bed and postpone the talk until he'd gotten proper rest. He wasn't even wearing his usual colorful and patterned attire, which made Jon feel a pang of sadness.

"Hi." Jon said awkwardly, holding out the flowers. "Got these for you."

Tim smiled and took them, as if they were something precious. "Thanks. I'll find a little jar to put them in. Come on in, make yourself comfortable."

Jon wasn't sure he could _make himself comfortable,_ but he sat down on Tim's couch and gave it his best efforts. He watched Tim move in his small kitchen space, filling a mason jar with water. "I know I'm early, so if Sasha and Martin are here, we can-"

"Oh, no, I had them go at six." Tim positioned the jar of peonies on a windowsill. "I knew you'd be early."

Tim sits at the other end of the couch and for what felt like a horrible eternity (but was really a horrible thirty seconds) it was silent. Neither of them wanted to address the elephant in the room and neither of them knew how to. Words piled up in Jon's throat but none of them were right and none of them would come out. He glanced at Tim, who was curled up against his couch arm. He looked so small like that, Jon just wanted to protect him. 

"I think there's a bit of explaining to do on my end." Tim broke the silence, smiling uneasily. "Um. I'm a vampire. Surprise." 

"Yeah, I noticed." Jon found himself smiling too, just a little. "If you don't mind my asking, you seemed to know the one we were hunting when....." When it all came into the open. He wasn't sure what to call that. 

Tim nodded. "Yeah. Nikola, she's a bit of a long story." 

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, I want to." Tim shook his head and took a deep and shaky breath. "I wasn't born a vampire, I was turned about....ten years ago? It was recent. It happened because, well...my brother, Danny. He was really into this urban exploration thing for a while, and he found someplace he shouldn't have. Nikola killed him. I went after her and this happened." Tim was trying his best to look at ease, but Jon couldn't help but notice how much he retreated into himself. It couldn't have been an easy story to tell. "I think she found it funny, turning me. It hasn't been all bad, but..." He sighed, and there was such an obvious undertone of hurt there that Jon couldn't help reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "I decided back then I would kill her for what she did to my brother." 

"I'm so sorry." Jon murmured. "Martin and Sasha, do they...?"

"Yeah, they're monsters too, actually." Tim nodded. "Sasha's another vampire and Martin's a werewolf. You've met them, you know they're lovely." Another horrible eternity (five seconds) passed in silence before Tim asked, "Does this...change anything?"

"Oh, no, no, of course not." Jon rushed to reassure him. "I don't have any problems with you being whatever, you know. I just needed time to process it, I think, and I mostly worried over why you didn't tell me. I'd still like to be in a relationship with you, if, ah...if you're amenable to that." Jon stared at the other side of the room and tugged his hair nervously. He could tell he was just rambling now, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to be misunderstood. "I know, I made an assumption, especially what with my livelihood and all-"

"Hey, woah. Breathe for a second." Tim reached out to hold Jon's left hand in both of his. "I'm still down for dating you. Even if you're a professional Van Helsing, I'd still like to be your boyfriend."

Jon tried for a scoff, although it mostly came out like a sigh. "It's hardly _vampire slaying._ Me, Georgie, and Melanie, we work together as general monster hunters."

"I _cannot_ see you fighting monsters, no offense."

"I do the research for jobs, mostly. And I get used as bait sometimes." He smiles at Tim's look of concern. "Anyway, most of what we do just involves making sure the monster in question can't cause any more trouble until the proper authorities come in and take care of the situation. Nikola, was that it? We can tell when someone has the sole intent to harm, instead of it just being a....loss of control. No vampire has ever needed to completely drain several people weekly to stay alive, that's just the facts. We only kill when they're legitimately dangerous."

Tim nodded silently. Jon was starting to worry before he broke the silence. "Is that like...even legal?" Tim asked, an incredulous smile crossing his face. 

"Slightly? It's not exactly _illegal._ " He drummed his fingers on the couch cushion and took steadying breaths. He was nearly dizzy with nerves about his next question. "Tim, did.....I don't want you to think, but....look, I really don't think you would but did you ever drink from me?" The words came out in a rush and he almost wished he could shove them back in.

Tim's face melted from amusement to something resembling annoyance. "No, never. Why do you ask?"

"I just got a little paranoid, wondering why you didn't tell me earlier." Jon mentally cringed at himself. What a foolish thing to ask. "I know you wouldn't, just some part of me needed....confirmation?" 

"Right. That's fair enough, I guess." Tim smiled and nodded, seemingly taking everything in stride. "I get a question too, then. Why didn't you tell me you were a monster hunter for a living?" 

"People seem to...dislike the idea of it." Jon said, feeling out the words in his head. "There's not a better term for what we do besides _hunting_ , so people assume we kill all the ones we come across. It just gets...awkward, and I like to avoid that." He smiles sympathetically at Tim. "I assume that's also why vampirism isn't a first date topic for you?"

"Oh no, people ask too many questions." Tim laughed, releasing some of the leftover tension between them. "I've dated one other person after I turned besides Sasha, and she wouldn't stop asking about history and how the biology works. It's like, damn, next you'll be asking what's in my pants." 

Jon laughed along with Tim. He was intensely relieved that things were good between them. "Oh, I've gotten that one. It's hardly like they're going to find out." 

Tim snorted and curled up against Jon, which--he hadn't even noticed they'd gotten close enough to. "Ain't that the truth. Hey," He turned slightly to face Jon. "You have dinner yet?" 

"Um....not yet."

"Right then, let's fix that." Tim pushed himself off the couch and walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms above his head. "We've got, uh...canned soup. Leftovers Chinese takeout." He announced each item as he dug through the fridge and cupboards.

Jon watched him from the couch with a smile on his face and a warmth spreading through his chest. This is exactly what he'd been missing. Tim's humor, his voice, his touch, his caring attitude. All of him, really. "I don't mind. I can eat when I get back to mine." And he sits and listens to Tim go on about how _no, Jon will eat right here because it is past 7pm, what is he, crazy_ and he cannot help but feel ridiculously and totally endeared and in love. He'll stay for some microwaved lo mein, but mostly for the company. 

Tim comes back to the couch when he has the noodles in the microwave and wraps his arms around Jon, and life is perfect.

______

Winter faded into spring, as per usual, which meant the days got longer, which meant that it was a bit harder for Jon and Tim to go out. Fortunately, they managed. It just meant that Georgie yelled at Jon a little bit more about his awful sleep schedule. 

They were meant to be back from their dinner date at 10pm, but they'd taken longer than expected at the restaurant, and then Jon got caught up naming constellations, and it was now 11:30pm and they were both sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, talking about nothing. 

"I think that one there should be Hydra." Jon pointed to a cluster of stars half-hidden by a building. 

Tim squinted up at where he was pointing. "That's the snake with a load of heads, yeah?" 

"I can't believe you don't remember. I thought you were there for this."

"Shut it, you." Tim laughed and playfully shoved at him. "I literally have no idea where you're pointing at. I can only ever find the Big Dipper."

Jon leaned in close to him and pointed up at the constellation. "See? Right there." He traced the lines of it in the air. 

Tim stared for a moment longer before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I think." He smiled brightly. "Still doesn't look like a big snake."

"It's not a _snake._ "

"Ah, same thing." Tim stood back up and holds a hand out to Jon. "Come on, your bed isn't gonna sleep in itself."

Jon smiled fondly and rolled his eyes. "That doesn't even make sense." He took Tim's hand and let himself be helped up. 

Tim just shrugged, not even bothering to come up with some sort of snappy comeback. "You're very pretty, you know?" He said instead, which had just about the same effect of slamming Jon on a brick wall.

"I-what?" He stammered, feeling his face heat up. Suddenly, he was very much aware that they were still holding hands. 

"Why are you still so bad with compliments, I say nice things to you like...all the time." He swung their hands back and forth as they walked. "It's kinda cute, honestly."

"You're a menace and you're awful." Jon said dryly. 

"Mhm. And you love me."

"Unfortunately."

Tim's laugh had to be some kind of magic, Jon thought. He smiled and they continued on their way to the station in a comfortable silence. They sat next to each other on the train, and Jon let his head fall on Tim's shoulder. It wasn't the most comfortable position in the world, what with the plastic seats, but Tim put an arm around him and smiled and Jon felt like he could stay like this for a while. Not forever, his back would murder him if that was the case, but a good long while anyways.

**Author's Note:**

> I just think Jon should be a sappy and romantic loser in love sometimes. I think that he deserves it
> 
> This doesn't show up in the fic but Melanie calls the van the Mystery Machine
> 
> To everyone that is sad about no kissies. I can't do it. I get embarrassed, I don't know how kissing works. I've only done it once. You get hand holding and you will like it
> 
> jon being affectionate: yes this is fine and normal  
> jon when someone is affectionate to him: Blue Screen Of Death


End file.
